Free Prostate Cancer Screenings at Miller Park

Free Prostate Cancer Screenings at Miller Park

Third Annual Event Encourages Early Detection

Milwaukee, WI (May 13, 2009) – For the third straight year, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, Fox 6, the Milwaukee Brewers and ZERO: The Project to End Prostate Cancer, are joining together to encourage men to protect themselves against prostate cancer.

Set for Thursday, May 28 (rain or shine), from 7 am to 1 pm at Miller Park, the free, private screenings will take place in two mobile clinic vehicles near the TGI Friday’s restaurant in the northeast corner of the ballpark. No appointment is necessary. Screenings will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. The first 500 participants who complete the screening will receive a voucher good for two tickets to a future Milwaukee Brewers home game.

Statistics show one in every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The good news is that with early detection, prostate cancer is highly curable.

“If you’re over 40, getting checked is a simple step that could save your life,” said William See, MD, chairman and professor of urology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. See specializes in prostate cancer and practices at Froedtert Hospital. “For all men, the risk of prostate cancer goes up at age 50, and for African-American men, the risk elevates at age 40.”

The screenings will be conducted in two 39-foot clinic vehicles operated by ZERO. The addition of a second vehicle for this year’s screening was funded through the generosity of donors to the Froedtert Hospital Foundation. Equipped just as a doctor’s office would be, the custom-designed vehicles provide a comfortable, private environment. Screenings will be performed by Medical College physicians and other clinical experts from Froedtert & The Medical College. Exams will be offered on a first come, first serve basis. The screening takes approximately 20 minutes. Wait times will depend on demand.

Screening involves a blood test to measure the amount of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, in the blood, and a physical examination of the prostate gland. Participants will know the results of their physical exam immediately; PSA test results will be mailed within four weeks. All results are confidential.

Nearly 500 men were screened at the event in 2008. More than 13% had abnormal PSA results and about 8% had abnormal physical prostate exam results. In the two years the free event has been held, nearly 900 men have been screened—many of them for the first time.

For more information, call Froedtert & The Medical College at 800-272-3666 or visit froedtert.com.

Froedtert Hospital is a 485-bed academic medical center staffed by faculty of the Medical College of Wisconsin. The hospital employs more than 1,400 registered nurses and is one of just 230 hospitals in the country to receive the prestigious Magnet designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. It serves as an eastern Wisconsin referral center for advanced medical practice care in 37 specialties and subspecialties. It is a major training and research facility with more than 1,000 medical, nursing and health technical students in training and over 2,000 active clinical trials each year. Froedtert, part of Froedtert & Community Health, operates the region’s only adult Level One Trauma Center.

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